Plain WordsTraining Bulletinissue 36

Training Bulletin Issue 36

Successfully minuting disciplinary, grievance or redundancy meetings

How often do you have to minute stressful meetings? Anyone who needs to minute disciplinary, redundancy or grievance meetings knows these can be some of the most difficult aspects of their work. However, having to attend such meetings is a necessary part of the job, and it may fall to you to make sure your company has the legally required minutes that form part of the record of one of these processes. And, unfortunately, in the current climate, redundancy meetings in particular are increasingly frequent.

Why and how are disciplinary, grievance and redundancy meetings different?

These sorts of meetings differ from other types of company meetings in significant ways.

Firstly, by their nature, people attending them are more likely to be upset, angry or defensive and this can affect the way they give and receive information.

Secondly, such meetings should form part of a clearly defined process and must show that the company is following correct procedure.

Thirdly, unlike other meetings, you may have to keep a word-for-word record of what is said, rather than capturing a summary only of the main points discussed.

Finally, your meeting minutes could possibly be used as evidence in a court case.

For all these reasons, it can be harder or more stressful to minute this kind of meeting.

Common problems and how to avoid them

What to write down and what to leave out.

For normal meetings, you only need to capture the main points, decisions and the main arguments leading to them, and actions. For disciplinary, grievance or redundancy meetings, you need to write down as much as you can of what is said, and in the words of the speakers. You can make this easier if:

You know the subject, so read any supporting documents or talk to the person running the meeting to become familiar with the background.

You know company terms, jargon and acronyms, which can be particularly difficult if you are new to the organisation or if you are dealing with an unfamiliar department. Ask colleagues to define any terms you don’t know and keep a note of them. You might be surprised how many people ask for a copy of your list once you create it.

The person running the meeting asks staff to repeat or re-state anything they have said if it is unclear, so arrange with them that you will indicate to them that you are not keeping up if this happens.

You are familiar with your company’s policies, so you know what information needs to be captured in order to meet the necessary requirements.

You can’t keep up when people speak quickly

Disciplinary, grievance or redundancy meetings are usually minuted by hand rather than recorded or typed directly onto a computer. Unfortunately, very few of us learn shorthand any more, so you are left scribbling madly trying to catch everything, then trying to decipher your scrawl later when you type up the notes for the official record.

Develop and use your own shorthand with abbreviations for common words or parts of words and for specialist terms that your company uses. Examples include the obvious ones such as all the days of the week and months of the year, and also the following:

Ee

Employee

Er

Employer

Mgr

Manager

Mgt

Management

Mtg

Meeting

Prob

Problem

Req

Require or requirement

Practise your handwriting. Adapt your style to make it easier to read. You’ll find that if you avoid tight, clenched fingers or wrists your writing will be faster and easier to read.

Learn to write bulleted summaries of what is said and fill them in with detail whenever there are pauses during the meeting or when you type up the notes, which you should do as soon as possible after the meeting.